Banana & Constipation
Does eating banana relieve constipation? Unripe bananas are constipating while ripe bananas help to improve elimination. The reason is unripe bananas contain more tannin. Tannin is a bitter plant polyphenol in the banana latex responsible for its sticky, astringent taste, dry and puckery feeling in the mouth. Tannin in wine acts as a preservative and eventually helps developing its great taste. Tannin is also found in tea leaves. Not only tannin from oaks were used to tan animal hides into leather, dried banana peels are used in the leather industry for blackening of leather as well! 100 g of unripe banana contains about 100-250 mg tannins. Tannin acid coagulates proteins in the intestines, which decreases the secretions of the small intestine and inhibits peristalsis. That's why eating too much unripe bananas can cause constipation.
How do ripe bananas encourage bowel movement? Pectin: a water-soluble fiber called hydrocolloidal. Pectin is water-absorbent thus possessing a bulk producing ability. You can see it's action as a gum found naturally in fruits that causes jelly to gel. Pectin also changes harmful bacilli bacteria in the intestines to the beneficial acidophilus bacilli. Fructooligosaccharides: A non-digestible chain polymers of sugar and fructose. Fructooligosacchardies promotes growth of friendly bacteria acidophilus, bifidus and faecium while it also discourages growth of undesirable organisms such as E.coli. In fact, fructooligosaccharides lowers the level of toxic bacterial enzymes in the colon. That's why as a dietary supplement, fructooligosaccharides are recommended to treat constipation. Resistant starch: There is insoluble fiber, there is soluble fiber and now there is yet another kind of fiber, the resistant starch -a starch that escapes digestion in the small intestine of healthy individuals. Resistant starch is insoluble but fermented like soluble fiber therefore it offers the gastrointestinal tract health benefits of both insoluble and soluble fiber plus its own unique benefits. Like the fructooligosaccharides mentioned above, resistant starch also promotes growth of friendly bacteria. The amount of resistant starch in a banana increases and it ripens - up to 60 on the glycemic index So eat a ripe banana, constipation goes away :-)
Reference sources: 100 Super Supplements for A Longer Life, Frank Murray Healthy Life magazine issue 54, Sep 09, Page 18 http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=7 http://www.hindu.com/seta/2005/08/04/stories/2005080400351600.htm http://www.africanredtea.com/honeybush.html http://www.manbir-online.com/nutrition/banana.htm http://www.resistantstarch.com/ResistantStarch/Health+Focus/Fiber+benefits/Dietary+Fiber+FAQ.htm
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